We are blogging to share in the trials and tribulations of the courier business, with the intention of educating the reader, and maybe having a few laughs along the way.

Friday, April 15, 2011

How Emotions Affect Buyer Decisions in the Courier and Messenger Industry

The landscape for acquiring new customers in any business has changed dramatically since the expansion of the Internet and the growth of online advertising. Entire business models are shrinking to extinction. The days of print ads and regional trade shows to promote a company are but a fraction of their glory days, impelling entire sales divisions into revisionary actions. Old sales programs and presentations have been chiseled, sharpened and streamlined into attractive and user- friendly online campaigns--an undeniable necessity since potential customers will find your company more often then you will find them. Today’s new breed of customers have trigger points for qualifying a new supplier so instituting these contemporary pitches increases chances of acquiring new business. According to the Rapid Learning Institute, there are six emotionally based reasons that customers choose a new product or service. In the following paragraphs, we have used real-world business scenarios from American Expediting Company’s files, along with the question and specific emotion that drove a buyer to select us as their courier. Desire for gain: Will, and how will, this courier help me land more business? When a declining market for an industry leader in the secure document retrieval, storage, imaging, and destruction business was traced to an inept courier service, they turned to us, American Expediting for help in retrieving that business segment. We launched a two-fold plan that entailed training and testing our company’s Detroit office staff as well as the courier team to be used. These training sessions covered the specific “how’s” for handling our new client’s confidential documents as well as the importance of both courier and vehicular appearance. Almost immediately confidence was restored among our client’s customers and business picked up. Additionally, our client’s internal sales staff, which had ceased targeting that particular business sector, was inspired to renew their efforts. Says the client’s Director of Development, “The couriers’ professionalism won the confidence of our sales group who re-doubled their energies in selling that service.” Fear of loss: Will the services of this courier be 100% reliable to ensure continued loyalty on the part of my current customer base? “When plumbers, builders, contractors, engineers, and other trade professionals are working at a client site and need a replacement part, they call our client to supply them from one of their 1,000+ service centers,” says the Operations Manager of this national company. “Our ability to assure our clients that we have their part in stock, and that they can have the part delivered promptly, ensures that they don’t look to our competitors for order fulfillment.” A key part of that “assurance” is derived from their courier, American Expediting Company. Our national network of agents in over 250 cities, helps to secure on-time pick-up and delivery of time sensitive critical parts with a single call to our National Call Center. Comfort and/or Convenience: Can this courier effectively manage my deliveries and provide me worry-free time for other work as well as recreation? The work of a Pennsylvania facilities management service for a brand name motorcycle company is keeping the production line equipped with parts and other supplies round-the-clock. Failure to do so results in tens of thousands of dollars of production downtime. With suppliers for the motorcycle company scattered over a 300-mile radius of the facilities management service, the facilities manager chose American Expediting Company as its courier. “One selling point for us was their office locations,” says the facilities manager. “They have major sites in Newark, Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Philadelphia so they were able to guarantee prompt pick-up and delivery to our client.” But that wasn’t all. The management service is also responsible for emailed progress updates to multiple parties covering numerous personnel shifts. They needed a courier that could provide ongoing and solid delivery status from pick-up to destination to all parties involved, a function coordinated and readily executed by American Expediting. The result is that the facilities management team, knowing that American Expediting is involved, can go home, worry-free, to their families. “It’s nice waking up from a solid sleep and seeing email confirming a completed, signed and sealed delivery,” notes the facilities manager. Security and Protection: Does this courier have back-up drivers who can substitute for my fleet in case of massive outages, vacations, or an unexpected increase in demand? When a world leader in medical diagnostics testing has one of their Western Pennsylvania internal drivers call off from work at the last minute business must still go on. Their clients expect a 24/7/365 pick-up/delivery option given the life and death issues in this line of work. Consider that biological samples must make it to the lab for testing so physicians can get results immediately and determine treatment. By partnering with American Expediting, which offers back-up assistance, this medical diagnostics testing lab has ready use of our routed and STAT drivers, day or night. Pride of Ownership (Prestige): Can this courier help me maintain the appearance of national coverage? Customers often like to work with a single vendor who can manage their national delivery needs. No matter the goal--facilitating vendors, vendor loyalty, lower prices, or increased support--many customers prefer to work with fewer vendors and often the local ones. However, the local couriers must give the appearance of countrywide coverage. To achieve this image, they turn to the larger vendors such as American Expediting for help in completing the deliveries outside of their home territories. Result: local mom and pop courier companies, thanks to the larger players such as us, give the impression and service of size and win the hometown clients. Ego Satisfaction: Can this courier convince my Sales group and/or Executive Management that a transportation service can improve on the company’s bottom line? Like any manager or supervisor, inventory managers for national medical distributors want to shine for their bosses. However, with the responsibility of securing the availability of thousands of supplies and parts to surgery teams around the country at a moment’s notice while controlling the costs of each distribution site’s inventory, failure is inherent in the job. “Shining,” is a luxury. But, depending on the reliability of American Expediting Company to help replenish inventory among locations within a 100-mile radius and reduce their risks, these managers are able to demonstrate a higher rate of fulfillment, a reduction in overall costs, and finally, an improved bottom line. Let ‘em shine! Capitalizing on customers’ emotions with understanding and supplying them with real world examples of how you have helped other companies with similar needs, such as those above, will help reinforce their reasons for contacting you in the first place, and give you a better chance to earn their business.

Thank you for sharing. Courier service traditionally has been replaced by email and fax machines, yet there is still a need for signatures or timestamps on paperwork to meet deadlines, or for legal filings. I use messenger service Boston.

About Me - Glenn

We like to think that we HELP TO SAVE LIVES. From rushing replacement heart valves to operating rooms, to delivering baby birds to your local pet store, we are part of your everyday lives. We carefully transport your rush and same-day packages via ground or air, and specializing in medical, government, manufacturing, and the legal markets.